With more than 17,000 residents, a four-year liberal arts college, a world famous railway, and more restaurants per capita than San Francisco, you might argue Durango doesn’t sound like that small of a town. But from old friends hugging at the Saturday morning farmers’ market to your waiter telling you he’ll see you at tomorrow’s Oktoberfest party (September 26 to 27), it feels like one. Even better, the bellowing of steam engines and open spaces straight out of a Louis L’Amour novel—the author penned part of his Sackett series at the Strater Hotel—set an Old West backdrop for all the modern-day pleasures that await in this 5.6-square-mile southwestern Colorado town.
Durango is a haul from Denver, which means for a two-day escape, you’ll likely arrive in the dark. This low-light scenario is no big deal if you’re staying at downtown’s historic Rochester Hotel, where you’ll find your quarters by looking at the marquee-light-framed movie posters outside the doors. Each of the hotel’s 14 guest rooms is themed after a different Western filmed in the area. For a bedtime snack, wander a block north to Steamworks Brewing Company, where the kitchen stays open until 11, for a pizza and a pint of Colorado Kölsch.
The big reveal will come in the morning when you walk outside and find yourself transported to the set of Old West classics such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and City Slickers, both of which have scenes shot in and around the bucolic Animas River Valley. But as you stroll down Main Avenue after grabbing a steaming cup at Durango Coffee Company, you’ll realize this is not a city stuck in the past. Five-year-old Studio &, a hip, white-walled gallery that features pieces from Four Corners–area artists, would feel at home in any major city. You won’t be able to leave Urban Market without picking up a funky gift (napkin rings made from old-school keyboard letters, perhaps?). And spurs and chaps are nowhere to be found at trendy clothiers Silk Sparrow and Renae Marie.
A few blocks north, you may notice a line forming outside the Durango Diner. Bypass the wait for a table and seek out spots at the counter, where you can watch owner Gary Broad douse breakfast standards with his signature green chile. You’ll work it all off on your next adventure, a two-wheeled brewery tour on cruiser bikes from the Rochester (free with your stay).
Pedal a few blocks to merge onto the seven-mile Animas River Trail at Ninth Street. About a mile north, you’ll find Animas Brewing Company, the newest addition to Durango’s craft-beer scene. Families could while away hours here: suds and Colorado spirits for the adults, rolls of coloring paper for the kids, and pretzel sticks for everyone. Or, if you’re up for a longer ride, take the trail south toward Ska Brewing Co. for live music and the on-site Container of Food restaurant’s garlic “pigbread” (a flatbread with smoked pork and sweet and-spicy barbecue sauce).
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